Container for blasting caps



Oct. 9, 1945. A. R. E4LY ETAL 2,386,546

CONTAINER FOR BLASTING CAPS Filed Dee. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A/berrR. Ely

/ Roscoe 5. \Smifh Oct.9,1945.' A R ELY ETAL 2,386,546

CONTAINER FOR BLASTING CAPS Filed Dec. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTQPNE Y Patented Oct. 9, 1945 CONTAINER FOR BLASTIN G GAPS Albert R.Ely and Roscoe B. Smith, Wilmington, Del., assignors to Hercules PowderCompany, Wilmington, DeL, a corporation of Delaware Application December2'7, 1941, Serial N 0. 424,620

5 Claims.

This invention relates to the packaging of blasting caps and moreparticularly to an improved method of packaging fuse blasting caps, andthe package produced.

Fuse blasting caps contain a detonating charge pressed into the base orclosed end of a shell which then has the other end open to allow theinsertion of a safety fuse which is then crimped into place in the openend. In order to fire the cap, the fuse is lighted and allowed to burnand ignite the detonating explosive in the base of the blasting cap. Thefuse blasting caps known to the art are closed end copper or aluminumcasings having a diameter of between about .22 inch and .25 inch and alength of from about 1 /2 to 2 inches. The art provides the industrywith these blasting caps packaged usually in tin boxes Y adaptable forinsertion into a square or rectanguwhich contain 10, 25 or 100individual caps. The

normal method of packaging blasting caps within the tin boxes is toplace each cap in the box with its open end up, i. e., in a positionthat allows an operator to look down onto the explosive composition inthe bottom of the cap. This method is usually adhered to because visualinspection is possible and misfires due to foreign material being in thecap are prevented. However, there is danger experienced in this typepackage because the explosive charge is exposed and foreign material canfall into the cap. This foreign material may be sparks, ashes,abrasives, liquids or the like and such material may cause prematureexplosion or misfires, either of which are dangerous in operations.

To overcome such difficulties, it is known to pack the caps with theirclosed end down. However, such packing is not well thought of by theart, and the very large majority of caps are packed with their open faceup.

It is the object of this invention to provide an improved packagingmethod for packaging fuse blasting caps.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved containerfor fuse blasting caps.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a liner for thetin boxes now in use which will allow a safer method of packaging fuseblasting caps.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container for fuseblasting caps which will prevent any foreign material from entering theblasting cap,

Another object of the invention is to provide a container in whichblasting caps may be packed by a suitable method to provide inspectionthereof, and which is then suitable for insertion into lar box suitablefor packing a plurality of blasting caps. This liner is so designed thatthe blasting caps may be either packed therein by first placing theminto a jig where they are inspected and counted and then transferred tothe liner or the caps may be packed into the liner in an uprightposition, counted and inspected by looking into the open end thereof.The caps and liner are then inserted preferably into a metal containerreceiving blasting caps.

of normal tin can construction, but heavy cardboard or the like may beused. The design of the container allows easy removal of the caps andfurther causes positioning of the caps within the box with their longaxes parallel to the bottom and top of the box.

portion or the entire top, which opening also is provided with a coverhinged to an edge of the liner. The container which exposes only asingle blasting cap, and that only along its length, is preferred inmany instances, but the container having a larger openingdischarges capsmore easily. In all containers, however, the open ends of the caps areabutted against one side of the box, and thus they are effectivelysealed against entrance of any foreign material.

In order to describe the container of this invention in more detail, adescription of preferred embodiments thereof is made with reference tothe attached drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts, and inwhich:

Fig. I is a perspective view of the tin box with the cover in place;

Fig. 2 is similar to Fig. 1 but without the cover and showing the liner;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the container with blasting caps inplace and a cap in the act of being discharged from the container;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation view of the container of Fig. 3 with one sidecut away to show the arrangement of caps therein;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the blank forming the liner of Figs.'2', 3and4; l l

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a form or jig suitable for use as an aidin packing caps into liners and containing a number of caps that haveclosed ends up but can be reversed; 1

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a liner posi:

tioned for receiving caps from the-dig shown in i Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 isa plan view of the blank forming the, liner of Fig. '7. The blasting cappackage, in accordance with this invention, comprises a liner l whichcontains a. plurality 15f ruse blasting caps 2 positiori e d withtheirlongitudihal a'x'es itatann td mana e a of the container. linr I ispositioned in a supporting tin box 4 which has a closlii fittingtin'tt'ver 5;. In' Fig. 1; the tin box has its cove in place; whilein"Fig. "2, the cover is' omitted and the liner I exposed. I '---'I he'linei" I which fits into the tin box 4 has anipening 5 which openih'isC'oor'dinatedwith the long axes of the blasting cap's'"2,-"so that theblasting caps may be discharged'from" the-liner sihglylFig. 37. ov r'the tpenmga may be folded thcover flap? which 'willform' a' continu'ouscover 'whe'rl it contacts the cover member 9 that extends 'c'ver a largepet centof the-top; and thus a closed box is formdfi In Fig. 4 one sideof the liner l "an tin box is cutaway'in order to show thepositioriingof the blasting cap's Z'within the linerf Itwillb'e'bbvio'usf'ro'nf Fig. and 'Fi'g'l 3' thatif the b'tx i's' 'tilted-asingle blast ing capwillroll from opeiiing 6. Furtheh- 'it will beapparent that no foreigri'fnatte'r an possibly'enter intoth'evariousbla'sti'ng caps since only one cap is exposedat a" ihie'and t'hexpo sure of this cap does not permit the openehd thereof to be in aposition such "that fo'reign matter can'fall therir i to and on to the1310} sive charge. 1 1:-

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the blank from which 111191 [is formed prior tothe rorntgtnaetfto term a*"comple't'e assembly? "r1315 1am: tam; prisesarectan'g'ulafbotto I there rtms iq'es l2 and lgga-rf nt sja' d a. backI6L" 'Anextensionflap onbaelflfi formsfthe' top9 folds from back Itinto" a 'ppsiti n parallel with base? and contacts the top e 'f ides I2a J4- ot' ide 1 and '4. th re'ar extension 'flaps ll and!!! which" foldinwardly until they ar'parallel t thebottoin nd which may b iem d 'i'naim uitab e manner t i the upper"or'lower face "of top 9? 'I t"will"benoted that the extension flaps I1 and {9 do not ex (1 for the nib etjlenet Of the idfi eh, Thus; they a $hW by 11m n '2 l a manner whichprovides the OpeningGXFigisJ 3 m l'i t Q'e l d' t e s d flats l and 19are'of approxim'tely the samele'ngthji. e., he front edge of the tap tap9 att y' i ci sti" extends slightly 'beYond-thed nes' 2'0 and-211" "Bythis expedient the pa ing 61 i left forthe is} chargeof c'aps 2. i

An extension of the front [5 is provided to form the cover 1 for the'op'e'rii'ng isleftwhen the flaps 9, l1 and l are'positi oned cover I,is of sufficient width to fully close opening 6 when it is folded into aposition parallel to the bottom 3.

When the liner is folded or formed, the various sides, bottom, top andcovers may be provided at appropriate points with an adhesive to aid information of the completed assembly, for example, adhesive at points 24,25 and 26 will aid in theassembling of the blank shown in Fig. Sin'toliner 1.

It is essential in this embodiment that the length of the various sides,bottoms, tops, and flap extensions be coordinated in a manner that willproduce a carton which provides a longitudi- ,na Pnenin lon one ed e orside just sufiiciently wide for the discharge of a blasting cap'when"the blasting "cap has its long axis parallel to the opening. Forexample, the section 9 could be a narrow flapand either sections I! orI9 be extended in length to form a top for the liner.

The discharge O ni i p e e ably mltd o the tenor x. 'I Iowever'; it isconte np ed t i bnm gmerb i tmd t em wi 1 .1. the box whic h is foundin" tconvenientf "flhus, for example, the opening ay'becenteed ab s'sthe topfor it"rn'aj be poslti ned on one the boil ew f W en' h emh y ias" a'linerfand it is" insertedin a 'snpport g box, such as the box 4;withpove'r been foundmost *desirableto have the 'op on the top so thatit w'ill necessary to remove the liner'from the box in order todis'charge blasting caps. Ifthe assembly is madedi suffiientl'y "rigid metat'ma arm or container of its 'own' accord and obviate the need or thetin'suppo'r'tand such instances the o'p'iim maybei qn a an Friilhbl? rent-It'is further cont? ftd'l hat "various typ of openings hem rttrtt d'wtnmtt' t thes Thus, if fie'cessarvaslide'maybe incorpora d instead ofthe'remo vablec'qver, or if desi r other types of openings may be'used.

h ant' e f i 'Qt'iri the oap frgm th introduction or any foreigninterment to 'th t; ie' t i l eeilf he .i open endsthereof arenotexposed to the 'gpen are paclged into, the line the b6 m y per (1 withone side thereof, for'exa p ?n$ on H. a a ne. g an through thisf openingpacked intb'the'l r t W he. de this: When'the caps areso'paq g ldi Y nspted d cou ted b a iii 9 3 nsl i' a d h' pe'rehe rrient in the' bbx,aftefwhi'ch the h tension [1 may b an [2 stride};- t lde into. n sitblii art, the assembled liner c'ont ingthet shells inserted into'thet b"1 N e. h QX i5" re dy or distr rade "UPPH in h bdx. he move'd, thecoverflap"? raised, the the n v du l la tin can 2 di q A material. The formdesirably has the same in teriorlength and width as theliner but is ofabout one-half the depth thereof; This shallow form allows easy transferof the caps 2' into the liners and facilitates packing'into the form 30.Inspection and counting is also facilitated. To assist in racking thecaps in the jig 5, it has been found highly desirable to attach spacingmembers 3|, such as a shim or fin to the jig 5 at one endof each odd rowof caps 2 and a similar spacing member 3! (fin or shim) to the jig atthe opposite end of the even row of caps. These spacing, members causethe individual caps in each row to fit closely together and alsothey'align the, caps in adjacent rows so that they fit into thevalleysformed by the contacting row. Reference to Figs. 4 and 6 will show thatthe spacing members would obviously cause neat efficient positioning.

The preferable method of packing caps thereforecomprises placing capsinto a jig or form 38 having spacing members 3| at opposite ends ofalternate rows until the form is filled, inspecting the'caps todetermine whether any foreign material has fallen therein either beforeor after transferring this group of caps into the partly formed liner,closing the side of the liner over the caps, and inserting the filledliner into a tin or similar supporting box so that the caps have theirlong axes parallel to the top of the box.

Whenever the present package is in use, there is no danger of foreignmatter entering the blasting cap shells, as the open ends thereof arenot exposed and this improvement constitutes a definite increase in thesafety of handling these highly dangerous objects.

If desirable, a slit or window may be formed in the top cover I, 9, or31 which will be perpendicular to the long axes of the blasting capshells. Such a window or slit has, in some cases, been found very usefulin order to quickly and easily check the contents of the box. Thus, forexample, if there are only a few caps left within the box, it is quiteeasy to determine the exact number present or the approximate fulness ofthe box by a glance into the window or slit. The opening 6 does not initself make for quick inspection of the contents of the box due toshadows formed and the fact that the caps in the box are parallel tothis opening. However, a window or slit perpendicular to the long axisof the cap provides the rapid examination of the contents. It iscontemplated that such a window or slit may be either left open or maybe covered with a transparent material, such as for example, Cellophane,or the like, and it will be further appreciated that this window may belocated at any convenient point on the box depending entirely upon thedesign of the opening and the entire design, and material ofconstruction of the box.

A more easily prepared liner than shown by Fig. 5, which, while notgiving the full protection afforded by the liner of Fig. 5 having thedispensing slot, does afford more protection than the a prior artmethods of packing may be prepared as follows:

A blank 34 (Fig. 8) similar to that shown in Fig. 5 but without the sideflaps IT and I9 is made. This blank during the packing operation isformed with flap 32 left unfolded to allow caps to be packedperpendicular to folded side 35 (Figs.

6 and 7). Placing of the caps manually or by means of a jig 30 into theliner 34, folding of the unfolded flap 32 into place and insertion ofsaid liner and contents into a tin box, completes an alternateassemblyin accordance with the invention. When the caps are packed directly intothe liner, they are packed open end up, inspected and counted before theflap 32 is folded thereover. However, when a jig is used, which isdesirable, it is preferable to pack the cap open end up in the jig andinspect and count them' while in the jig."

,The two-piece covers 1 and 9 '(Fig. 2) can, if desired, be designedas'one cover flap 31 (Fig. 8) which will be hinged to one of the foursides. This type package provides protection from foreign material andallows more readily removal of any number of caps than the liner havingthe cover secured so that caps must be discharged singularly. The coverflaps I or 37 may, if desirable, have a rectangular or semicirculargroove 39 cut therein (Figs. 7 and 8) to assist in opening the flap. Thegroove is desirably located adjacent the closed end of the cap toprevent formation of any channel into the caps open ends.

In regard to the material of construction, it has been found that if theliner is to be used in conjunction with a metal box of normal tin canconstruction material, the liner may be fairly light cardboard or heavypaper. However, if the liner is to comprise the box per se, the materialof construction must be heavier, for example, a heavy cardboard,corrugated or laminated paper,.or the like. Further, if the liner is tobe used as the box per se, the side joints will, of course, be closed bymeans of extension flaps, tape, or, the like, and various means forperforming such closures are contemplated and are well within the skillof the art.

In packing of the blasting caps within the container, it has been foundpreferable to so coordinate the width of the container with the lengthof the cap that there is suificient play to allow easy removal if thecover used provides a large opening or if it provides only a dispensingslot. However, it is to be appreciated that in shipping caps, theyshould be packed tightly within the box in which they are shipped; andin order to insure tight packing and still provide means whereby thecaps can easily be discharged from the container when so desired, it hasbeen found possible to insert a shim which is easily removable beforedischarge of the caps, either on the top of the container or along oneside thereof. Such a shim gently wedges the caps into a tight positionwithout deforming the caps and accomplishes the desired purpose in amanner which fully meets all shipping regulations. Further, the lineritself may be of materia1 of a thickness which will act as the necessarycushioning and positioning means, for example, felt or blotting paper.

Where in the specification the term tin box is used, it will beappreciated that the term broadly covers the metal containers used inthe art and such containersmay be tinned, lacquered, or otherwiseprotected.

What we claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A package of fuse blasting caps comprising in combination a pluralityof open-end fuse blasting caps having long longitudinal axes and stackedtogether with their longitudinal axes in parallel alignment; arectangular box of flexible sheet material entirely enclosing the capsand having a bottom, sides, and a top portion, said top portion beingadapted toprovide' alongitudinal opening with a long axis' parallel to'thelongitudinal axes of'said caps and ofasize sufiicient to permitlateral, discharge therethrough of one of said caps, and one of saidsidesjhavinga rectangular extension flap foldably extending over andclosing said opening and adapted to be foldably opened; one of saidsides which'is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of. said openingbeing adapted to be'foldablyopened; and a substantially rigidsupporting'boxf-like structure enclosing the box,said'structurehaving"sidesfand a bottom integral'therewithfand aremovabletop, saidtop being disposed'over and contiguous to the top ofsaid-box and adaptedtojbeflremoved to expose said topporti'on and said?extension flap of'said' box. l V

'2; A package of fuse blasting caps comprising incombination a pluralityof open-end fuse blasting caps having long longitudinal axes and stackedtogether with their longitudinal axes in parallel alignment; arectangular box entirely enclosing the caps and having a bottom, sides,and a top portion, said, top portion beingadapted to provide alongitudinal Opening with along axis-parallel to the longitudinal axesof said caps and of a size suificientto permit lateral: dischargetherethrough of one of said caps, and-one ofsaid sideshaving arectangular extension flap fold: ablyextending over and closing saidopening and adapted tobe foldably opened; one of said sides whichisperpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofsaid opening being adapted tobe ioldably opened; and a substantially rigidsu-pportingboxlikestructure enclosing the box, said structure having sides and abottomintegral therewith and a removable top, said top beingdisposed overandcontiguous to the top ofsaidboxand adapted to'be removed-toexposesaid top portion and said extension flapof saidbox.

'3; A package of fuseblast-ingcaps comprising in combination a'pluralityof{ cylindricalopenend fuse blasting caps having longitudinal axesstacked together with their longitudinal axes inparallel alignment; afirst enclosing means made of flexible sheet material entirely enclosingthe pluralityof capsand having a first member adapted to form alongitudinal opening insaid first enclosing means with a long axisparallel to the longitudinal axes ofsaid caps and of" asizeextendingover and closing saidopening and,

adapted to be opened; one of said sides'which is perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis oi said opening being adapted to be foldably opened;and a second enclosing means entirely enclosing and supporting the firstenclosing means and having a. removable closure member. disposed overthe first member of said first enclosing means and adapted to be removedto expose said first member and said extension flap of said firstenelosingmeans.

4., A prepared package for open-end fuse blasting caps having longlongitudinal axes which comprises means forming a substantially rigidbox having sides and a bottom integral. therewith, and a removable topcover; and flexible sheet means forming a box liner for the rigid box,said liner having bottom, sides, and top portion, said top portion beingadapted to provide a longitudinal opening adjacent an edge of one sideof the liner and being of proper dimensions to allow the dischargetherethrough of a blasting cap when the blasting cap islaid with itslong axis parallel to said opening, said one side having an extensionflap adapted to foldably cover said opening, one of said sides which isperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said opening being adapted tobe foldably opened, said liner being enclosed and supported by saidrigid box with the top cover of said box disposed over and contiguous tothe top portion of said liner.

5. A prepared package for open-end fuse blasting caps having longlongitudinal axes which comprises in combination a rectangular boxofflexible sheet material having a bottom, sides, and a top portion, oneof said sides adapted to be foldably opened to provide a side openingand foldably closed to close said side opening, said top portion beingadapted to provide a longitudinal top opening with greater dimensionsthan the longitudinal cross section dimensions of one of said blastingcaps and with the longitudinal axis of said opening-being perpendicularto said side adapted to be foldably opened, another one of said sideshaving an extension flap adapted to foldablycover said top opening;janda substantially rigid, rectangular, box-like structure entirelyenclosing andsupporting the box, said structure having sides and abottom integral therewith and a removable top, said top being disposedover and contiguous to the top portion and extension flap in closedposition of said box.

ALBERT R. ELY. ROSCOE B. SMITH.

